The next time someone tells you to “go away”, why not pack your bags and head to Governors’ Mugie, home to the most gregariously raucous group of white-bellied go-away-birds? Nestled on a ridge overlooking the vastness of Mugie Conservancy in Laikipia, the staff hug us on arrival as though it’s been years since they last saw us. When, in fact, we are all meeting for the very first time.

The white-bellied go-away bird is part of the turaco family – photo credit Simon Odhiambo

“Karibu nyumbani, Karibu Mugie,” says the Manager, Joshua, as he steps forward to help with our luggage. “Please meet Catherine, Kennedy, David, John and Sammy – they are all here to look after you.” We gaze around the stunning interiors, sipping a cold, refreshing homemade juice, and it suddenly sets in that this is our home for the next few days.

I love travelling and I’m excited by various visual elements, particularly design and colour. I can appreciate both simple and luxury accommodation wherever I happen to be. I was allocated a beautiful cottage stylishly decorated in neutral and feminine tones with free-flowing space around a king-size bed and floor-to-ceiling windows. The comfort, views, and in-room amenities made my stay memorable.

Bathroom details – photo credit Kevin Maimba

Being bird photographers, we visited Mugie for its extensive range of colourful and characterful avifauna. Stepping outside the room, tiny species such as scarlet-chested sunbirds, Marico sunbirds and the Kikuyu white-eyes added flashes of iridescence to the aloe-filled, thorn-scrub gardens.

A scarlet-chested sunbird – photo credit Kevin Maimba

A Marico sunbird – photo credit Simon Odhiambo

During our drive to Mugie, we resisted the temptation to stop and admire all kinds of birds until we reached Posta, which is the last trading centre before reaching the conservancy. At the turn-off, we noticed a juvenile African harrier-hawk at the top of a dry tree and sitting quietly on the ground below, was its parent. Unfortunately both birds quickly took off but from this point on, the excitement started building.

The African harrier-hawk is a bird of prey – photo credit Simon Odhiambo

Once we were on Mugie Conservancy, barn swallows and wire-tailed swallows were cruising in huge flocks at a very low level. Much higher up and in a different airspace altogether, we noticed martins and swifts flying around in their characteristic erratic patterns. “Mugie is swallowing”, joked Kevin. We laughed.

A little further on, a small bird (which we initially thought was a bronze sunbird) surprised us with its fast flight and elaborate displays of aerial acrobatics. A territorial conflict ensued, and we pulled out our lenses to get a better look; a male Tacazze sunbird and a male golden-winged sunbird were fighting each other over a patch of nectar-filled lion’s ear. Meanwhile, their wives (of more subdued colouration) observed the commotion with little interest.

The Tacazze is a large, dark highland sunbird – photo credit Simon Odhiambo

A male golden-winged sunbird – photo credit Kevin Maimba

Finally, we arrived at Governors’ Mugie. Looking back, we believe all the birds had been briefed about our visit and instructed to be on their best behaviour. All except the white-bellied go-away birds, which hadn’t received the memo or perhaps chose to ignore it. “Gorrrwaay” they screeched in a series of grumpy calls. No offence taken.

White-bellied go-away birds are part of a “cast of characters” at Mugie – photo credit Kevin Maimba

All other species were in full party mode as we disembarked. A variety of vocalisations, including Abyssinian scimitarbills, red-faced crombecs, chinspot batis, southern and northern white-crowned shrikes, Speke’s weavers, white-browed sparrow-weavers, baglafecht weavers and white-browed robin chats all welcomed us.

Southern white-crowned shrikes prefer dry thorn bush habitats – photo credit Simon Odhiambo

A red-cheeked cordon bleu blushed as his mate allopreened him, and purple grenadiers darted across the pathway searching for better-quality seeding grasses on the other side. Cisticolas were in attendance, too.

Outside on the veranda that overlooks the Laikipia expanse below, we spied all sorts of starlings: Greater blue-eared starlings, violet-backed starlings, wattled starlings, Ruppell’s starlings and superb starlings had gathered on top of an acacia in the garden. In the distance, hundreds of starlings swooped and swirled in amazing murmations.

Greater blue-eared starlings and wattled starlings – photo credit Simon Odhiambo

Then came the black-headed oriole, with its striking bright yellow colour, hopping casually between the aloe gardens and the edge of the pool. We followed it with our cameras, but it wasn’t long before a common bulbul bullied it away, much to our disappointment.

Black-headed orioles fly in a fast and slightly swooping pattern – photo credit Simon Odhiambo

The lull in activity was quickly diminished by a white morph male African paradise flycatcher in breeding plumage. We watched him swooping in and out of the swimming pool before sorting out his feathers and flying away, its tail trailing rhythmically.

An white morph male African paradise flycatcher – photo credit Simon Odhiambo

We spent some time inside the newly built self-contained wildlife hide, 200 meters below the main house. Just beyond the water hole, a pair of skittish dik-diks loitered, allowing us to get some nice eye-level shots of a lesser-known, shy and elusive animal.

We had high hopes of visiting Mugie’s famous Vulture Restaurant, but it started raining. Our guide, John, encouraged us to look for more fascinating birds around the property. So we did. The distinctive calls of tropical boubous, slate-coloured boubous, sulphur-breasted bushshrikes, and grey-headed bushshrikes could be heard all around.

The grey-headed bushshrike is widespread throughout Laikipia – photo credit Simon Odhiambo

The sounds were pleasantly melodic compared to the cackling calls of crested francolins, actively competing among many antiphonal duets.

John, a very experienced guide with an accurate and in-depth knowledge of birds, took us for a game drive in the evening. It was the most enjoyable game drive we have had for a long time. John knew where to locate specific species, how to position the vehicle for optimal shots, and correctly anticipated all kinds of behaviour.

A crowned hornbill with its lunch – photo credit Kevin Maimba

We captured stunning images of lilac-breasted rollers, white-bellied bustards, and an African fish eagle that was perched on a rock before flying home empty-handed.  We also spotted the polyandrous African jacana, African spoonbills, squacco herons, spur-winged lapwings, blacksmith lapwings, long-toed lapwings and crowned lapwings.

A pretty lilac-breasted roller – photo credit Kevin Maimba

White-bellied bustards thrive in open woodland and grasslands – photo credit Kevin Maimba

The sheer volume of birds and the opportunity to photograph some that we had never seen before made us realise how special and unique this habitat is. Aquatic, grassland, scrubland, bush and forest species of birds thrive on Mugie, which gets its name from the colour of the waters in Mugie Spring.

A fawn-colored lark – photo credit Simon Odhiambo

On our second day, we ventured further to the other side of the conservancy. Our eyes were drawn to towering acacias and the broken canopy of scrubby bush, which exposed patches of blood-red soil. A sweeping section of savannah grasslands concealed a resident pride of lions lying low.

Mugie is the epitome of a healthy ecosystem, supporting all life forms through food, water, reproduction and co-existence. Fruiting trees were in season and we learned that elephants love these, while giraffes browse on acacia treetops, and grazers stick to the open plains. Endangered but stable populations of endemic species such as reticulated giraffes, Grevy’s zebras, beisa oryx, and Jackson’s hartebeests can all be found here.

A Grevy’s zebra and her foal – photo credit Kevin Maimba

Back to the birding. Being patient and observant allowed us to spot the elusive Levaillant’s cuckoo – a larger, darker variety found in bushy habitats and arid woodlands. We also ticked off fawn-coloured larks, tawny eagles, Egyptian geese, yellow-billed ducks, wood sandpipers, common sandpipers, migratory Northern wheatears, Isabelline wheatears, ruffs, Von der Decken’s hornbills, Nubian woodpeckers and Meyer’s parrots from our list.

The Levaillant’s cuckoo is a brood parasite – photo credit Simon Odhiambo

A yellow-billed duck flies over Mugie Dam – photo credit Simon Odhiambo

Mugie Conservancy prides itself on sustainable conservation and a productive rangeland model, demonstrating that people, livestock, and wildlife can peacefully coexist. We witnessed the controlled grazing of Boran cattle just meters from a herd of elephants and noticed a yellow-billed oxpecker pulling ticks from one of the cows.

Yellow-billed oxpeckers have a symbiotic relationship with large mammals – photo credit Simon Odhiambo

Western cattle egrets also accompanied the cattle, pouncing and swallowing the flying insects disturbed by the animal’s movements. During our two-day stay at Governors’ Mugie, Kevin Maimba and I,Simon Odhiambo, managed to spot at least one hundred species of birds and enjoyed photographing over thirty species in their natural environment.

The white–browed coucal is a species of cuckoo – photo credit Kevin Maimba

A violet-backed starling withstands the rain – photo credit Simon Odhiambo

We had planned to depart very early on our final morning, but leaving was like peeling off a plaster from a wound – painful, but it had to be done. We hung around for as long as possible, and just as we said our goodbyes, a leucistic greater blue-eared starling appeared before us!

A leucistic greater blue-eared starling – photo credit Simon Odhiambo

This final, incredibly rare sighting signalled that it was time to leave. A farewell party of birds, including black-backed puffbacks, red-fronted barbets, brown babblers and a variable sunbird, lined the pathway to wave us off.

The brown babbler is a stern looking bird – photo credit Simon Odhiambo

As we drove out, a black-shouldered kite demonstrated its remarkable hunting skills, and Kevin was quick enough to grab some shots. “Karibu tena,” said the guard at the gate, and “Gorrrwaay” came the unmistakable shriek from the white-bellied go-away birds.

The black-shouldered kite is a small raptor found in open habitat – photo credit Kevin Maimba

Goodbyes with some of team

Words by Simon Odhiambo who stayed at Governors’ Mugie in November 2024.

Birding and bird photography in Laikipia is a rewarding experience. Home to a unique mix of avifauna, from forest specialists to plains and water-dependent species, the region should not be overlooked when planning a wider Kenya safari.